The man who dragged the shark behind his boat was sentenced to 10 days in prison.
UBI – A Florida fisherman accused of animal cruelty over the video he posted in 2017. The man who pulled the shark behind his speedboat pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 days in prison.
A man named Michael Wenzel pleaded guilty to charges of illegal shark hunting and animal cruelty. He has first-degree misdemeanor charges against him. However, the number of shipments was reduced to one, with a shark expert saying that the shark behind the boat had died.
Wenzel was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and 11 months of probation. Also, the fishing license will not be valid for five years.
In the video recorded in 2017, Wenzel was among those cheering while the shark was drifting. The video in question was investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Hillsborough County District Attorney’s office, and the video clip was highly criticized by the community.
Along with Wenzel, charges were brought against two people named Robert Lee Benac and Spencer Heintz. Although Heintz’s charges have been dropped, Benac’s trial is scheduled for later this year.
Animal activists were not too happy with the rulings and responded to the decision.
“Wenzel has the privilege,” Mary Galbraith, Florida Voices for Animals, told the Tampa Bay Times in an interview. The punishment he received is too light for him.”
Wenzel’s attorney Charles Brett said: “I have strong observations that the only punishment that would satisfy animal activists is imprisonment.”
Another incident on March 1
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Who are the famous birthdays on March 1st?
| Javiera Carrera, daughter of Chilean Ignacio de la Carrera (d. 1862) | |
| 1842 | Nikolaos Gizes, Greek painter and academic (d. 1901) |
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1863 |
Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and designer (d. 1930) |
| 1927 | Harry Belafonte, American singer, songwriter, and actor |
| 1952 | Martin O’Neill, Northern Irish footballer and manager |
| Abdul Rahman, Pakistani cricketer | |
| 1981 | Adam LaVorgna, American actor |
| 1981 | Will Power, Australian race car driver |
| Josh McKieran, English footballer |